Hieronymus Galle the Elder

With, David Koetser, Zürich/New York, 1971;
Anonymous sale ("The Property of a Family"), London, Christie's, 12 December 1986, lot 26;
There purchased by Douwes Fine Art Ltd., London;
From whom purchased by Bernard Palitz. 

The following condition report has been provided by Simon Parkes of Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc. 502 East 74th St. New York, NY 212-734-3920, simonparkes@msn.com, an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. This work has probably not been cleaned. The canvas has an old English lining. The paint layer is stable, nicely textured and generally in very healthy condition. It is slightly dirty. There are a few restorations beneath the apples in the upper right and a loss about 3 by 2 inches and some surrounding thinness to the left of the plums in the lower left. There is also probably a small break in the canvas above the beetroot on the left side that has been restored. There are some other restorations beneath the signature. The darker colors of the background and the Masonry are probably slightly abraded, but the picture would respond well to cleaning and being more carefully retouched.
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."

Though born in Antwerp, this bountiful still life by Hieronymus Galle illustrates an absorption of the mid-seventeenth century Roman still life tradition, no doubt introduced into Galle's own work following his sojourn to the Eternal City in 1661. Indeed, it was from that date onwards that he signed his works with the Italianized form of his name, Girolimo. By 1661 a precedent had been set with a number of northern still life artists having traveled to Rome, notably Abraham Brueghel, with whom this work can be easily compared.